moon_guardfandomcom-20200213-history
Silver Sigil
The Silver Sigil is a fraternal organization of officially recognized, trained, and accredited Strategists, alternatively called "Sigil Bearers" by some. Strategists are specialists who have been trained as administrators or advisers in the philosophy called "The Doctrine of Warfare". Candidate Strategists are trained by the fraternity's Masters, or "named" members. The training of these Strategist falls into three phases. Confirmation, Education, and Reflection (all outlined below). Once a candidate Strategist has completed their training, they are assigned to a guild, order, or military organization to hone their skill with experience, and after they have been recommended by their direct superior to their Master, they are given their name, whereupon they become a Master of the Doctrine of Warfare themselves. Currently, most members of the Silver Sigil work and reside at the War College of Boralus, in Kul'Tiras. Some notable members of the fraternity who currently work with organizations on the mainland are Davrin Wallcroft and Gregory Alberdain. History of the Silver Sigil ((Placeholder)) Organizational Hierarchy The Silver Sigil is organized in a manner such that only merit is taken into account. Due to this design, senority has little bearing on the organization of the Strategists, and their leadership council is frequently staffed by younger individuals that would be expected of most organizations. Prospective Candidates: Overview: The Silver Sigil accepts the applications of prospective candidates, occasionally referred to as "hopefuls", without discretion. Any can choose to apply to become a candidate Strategist, however very few will ever be selected for training. Prospective Candidates are required to pass a series of trials before they can even be considered for training beneath a Strategist. This is done so that the crucially sensitive information in the many books of the Doctrine of Warfare are not needlessly spread to those with dangerous potential. The trials they must pass address their understanding of themselves, of the world, of others, and of the delicate balance that must be maintained in politics and war. Prospective Candidates are given their trial assignments immediately, and have a limited frame of time to complete them. Hopefuls can only ever apply for the selection process once in their life, so the Silver Sigil's teachers in the War College often advise would-be applicants to gain experience in war first and reflect on their recklessness in youth before submitting their applications. Trials: Prospective Candidates, much like their paladinic counterparts, must overcome three unique trials in order to prove their worth and talent. Each trial represents the founding principles of the Silver Sigil; Action, Devotion, and Insight. In addition to proving the well-rounded qualifications of an individual, these trials also aid an individual in becoming acquainted with the specializations they may choose to study as they go forth in their career as a Strategist. Candidate Strategists: Overview: Men and women whose applications are accepted by a Master can then begin their study of the Doctrine of Warfare under their Master as a would-be vocational apprentice. Almost immediately after their acceptance, Candidate Strategists are made to take their Oaths (outlined below) to ensure their training does not lack direction. During the process that follows, a Candidate's days can include many forms of rigorous training: from philosophical studies, to etiquette instruction, to rigorous memorization from the Manuals, and even to arms training or sparring. The expectation of this training is to produce humble, clever, and cunning Strategists who may then go on to prove themselves in an actual military institution. Unlike the process of the Hopefuls during their trials, Candidates may take as long as they require to become Strategists. They may resign their candidacy themselves, or may be permenantly dismissed from their training by their Master. Training: (( WIP )) Specializations: A Candidate Strategist may, after having studied the first three books of the Doctrine, choose to train in a specialization that best suits their talents and interests. These specializations are each career tracks designed in honor of the core principles of the Doctrine of Warfare. Strategists of the Blade: Strategists of the Blade are those whom specialize in the principle of Action. They often seem more like soldiers than true Strategists, and are known to possess not only great cerebral fitness, but also great physical prowess. Strategists of the Blade excel in the carrying out of plans. So, where other Strategists formulate plans before a battle, or watch from a distant command post, Strategists of the Blade charge into the fray alongside their compatriots. The advantage of becoming a Strategist of the Blade is that, in the field, one has much more ability to change plans and orders on the fly, since you can more rapidly communicate with your allies. The disadvantage is that with proximity to the battle, your own personal risk of fatality, casualty, or capture greatly increase. Strategists of the Banner: Strategists of the Banner are those whom specialize in the principle of Devotion. These Strategists are often kept as lieutenants, and are typically employed to lead companies or battalions into battle. Their dogged loyalty to both their principles, their comrades, and the banner to which they are sworn, makes them fierce and immersurably trustworthy generals. While Strategists of the Blade form tactics on the fly, a Strategist of the Banner will typically decide battles using bigger picture concepts, such as the location, the weather, and the otherwise unconsidered factors of the engagement. Additionally, Strategists of the Banner are frequently made morale officers, sowing positive outlook both among their own forces, and among potential allies. It is for this reason that Strategists of the Banner are typically viewed as the most personable of the members of the Silver Sigil. The advantage to becoming a Strategist of the Banner is that one's expertise is demonstrated frequently, and your merit will likely not go unnoticed nor unrewarded, opening a great plethora of career paths. The disadvantage to becoming a Strategist of the Banner is that one is typically viewed as not-so-skilled a tactician as a Strategist of the Blade, and not-so-wisened as a Strategist of the Ways. They are viewed as a middle-caste, with a specific and defined skillset. Strategists of the Ways: Strategists of the Ways are those whom specialize in the principle of Insight. This school, deemed the highest of the three, is chosen by many as their specialization, to their own peril. The path to becoming a Strategist of the Ways is fiercely competitive, and very few demonstrate the cerebral aptitude to master the skills of this specialization. Strategists of the Ways are defined by an almost entire lack of basic emotions, and dedicate decades of their life to the mastery of the Doctrine of Warfare. These Strategists are frequently staffed as force commanders, prime ministers, or advisors, kept close to seats of power so that they might impart good consul to the person(s) whom they are sworn to. Strategists of the Ways, when in battle, seldom involve themselves in any conflict. They lead from behind, and decide battles using an almost arcane knowledge of the ways of the world as well as ancient strategies and ingenius, manipulative ploys invented on the fly. However, unlike both Strategists of the Blade and Strategists of the Banner, often the involvement of a Strategist of the Ways will be from a desk or classroom podium. Their true strength is administration, not direct leadership. The advantage to becoming a Strategist of the Ways is a keen knowledge of the truth of things, a most-attuned knowledge of the Doctrine of Warfare, and indisputable administrative ability. This makes it likely for Strategist of the Ways to become politicians or persons-of-interest in military organizations. The disadvantage to becoming a Strategist of the Ways is an almost-complete loss of touch with one's own feelings, one's morality, and one's personal drive. All of which must be forsaken by an individual in order to make the most practical, efficient, and occasionally ruthless decisions. Strategist: After a Candidate has gone through an amount of training deemed sufficient by their Master, they are invited to either serve at the War College or to join an official organization of some sort on the mainland in order to prove their newfound skill and knowledge. These Strategists may work for any sort of Order they choose with the exception of criminal organizations, and can progress to the next phase of their training once their superior in that Order sends word to their Master that they are satisfied with the work of their Strategist. Master Strategist (aka Named Strategist, Sigil Bearer): Upon being called back to their Master from the College or an unaffiliated organization, the Strategist is proclaimed finished with their formal training. They are given the title "Master", they are given their ornamental hat and cloak clasps, all adorned with the Silver Sigil's emblem, they are given the right to train a Candidate Strategist, but perhaps most importantly (and symbolically) they are given their name. Their name proclaims them as a brother/sister to all members of the Silver Sigil, and serves as their epithet as it would a Knight. It is in this regard that Master Strategists are often referred to as "named strategists" or "sigil bearers" as opposed to simply being self-proclaimed. The Circle: The Circle is the leadership council for the Silver Sigil. It appoints its own members and has no maximum capacity. The Circle was originally called the Council of Masters, but was given the name by Sigil Bearers as an honorary nickname. They refered to the actual shape of the fraternity's sigil itself, claiming that the interwoven triad was held to balance by the circle that runs through it. This nickname became the official name of the council two years before the start of the new calender (P.C.), just before the Dark Portal was opened. Seated members of the Council decide on nothing more than internal policies and rules about application procedures, since all Named Strategists are given almost full autonomy in how they conduct themselves after their training. However, were the Council to request that a member of the Silver Sigil do something in particular, it would be unheard of for their request or counsel to go unheeded. The Doctrine of Warfare Overview The Doctrine of Warfare is the name with which the Strategists of the Silver Sigil refer to their philosophy. More specifically, it is the name granted to a set of six tomes approved and regularly updated by the Circle which serve as manuals of Military and Political strategic philosophy. The Doctrine of Warfare is considered by some to border on religion, and as such those who claim themselves enemies of the Silver Sigil have been known to occasionally denounce the organization as a cult concerned with bringing the world to heel. Books #The Way of the General : An in depth guide which describes the makings of a good leader, how to determine the worth of a potential candidate leader, and how to spy out poor leaders which ought to be prevented from progression #Tenants of the Strategist : A manual of the Doctrine of Warfare which outlines, in depth, the decision making criteria of Strategists, the Oaths of the Strategists, and provides an history of all great members of the Silver Sigil to date. #Methods of War : The main manual of the Doctrine of Warfare. It outlines all factors and considerations which a Strategist must make in times of both war and peace, on fronts of both battlefields and political arenas. #Field & Maritime Tactics : A manual with a comprehensive list of tactics, their implementations, their requirements, their strengths and weaknesses, and informative diagrams for all formations. #Political Sciences and Philosophies : An expansion on the Methods of War which goes into more detail on politics in lieu of warfare. #Arcanum of the Silver Sigil : A safely guarded tome, considered the most arcane knowledge of military philosophy known to the realm of Azeroth. Only members of the Circle study this book of the Doctrine. Ideals The Doctrine of Warfare centralizes on deceiving one's enemies and being the most honest of counselors to one's allies. Additionally, the Doctrine focuses on its students being able to entirely separate their emotions from their mindset to prevent them from making foolish mistakes as they develop strategies using the carefully guarded knowledge they have been given access to. Students of the Doctrine are frequently famed for being two-faced, cold, or overly serious. Often, bearers of the Sigil are unaware of their expression of duplicitous emotions or actions due to how early on they are trained, and how naturally deception comes to those who have mastered the art of war. Strategists who bear the Silver Sigil typically pluck their eyebrows to sharpened points, a tradition going back to the founding of the College which supposedly aids in making a Strategist look cold and unfeeling when presenting themselves and their plans. Most Masters teach their candidates to speak with no inflection when delivering plans in the same right. Silver Sigil Silver Sigil Silver Sigil Silver Sigil Category:Disbanded Alliance Guilds